Telecommunications system for transmitting images

ABSTRACT

On the transmission side, an image, for example a black-and-white individual image, is picked up and stored on request by a simple camera, for example with a wide-angle lens and optical viewfinder. The image data of the image message are suitably compressed and subsequently coded with a telecommunications-channel-specific code and transmitted, preferably unidirectionally, indirectly or directly to a telecommunications network (for example a wired or wireless telephone network). On the reception side, the image data are accepted—in a way corresponding to the process on the transmission side—either directly or indirectly. After decompression and decoding, the image data are stored in a screen store and transmitted to the screen, for example an LCD flat screen, according to the instructions of a screen controller. Both the transmission device and the reception device can thus be designed to be compact—for the purpose of fast image transmission combined with a simple switching and programming structure—, mobile and independent of telecommunications channels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a telecommunications system for transmittingimages according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

In communication systems having a message transmission link between amessage source and a message receiver, transmitting and receivingdevices are used for message processing and transmission. The messageproduced by the message source is transmitted from the transmittingdevice via a communication channel to the receiving device, whichsubsequently delivers the received message to the message receiver. Themessage processing and transmission may in this case take place in apreferred direction of transmission or in both directions oftransmission (duplex operation).

“Message” is a generic term which stands both for the meaningful content(information) and for the physical representation (signal). In spite ofthe same meaningful content of a message—that is to say the sameinformation—different signal forms may occur. For example, a messageconcerning one subject may be transmitted

(1) in the form of an image,

(2) as a spoken word,

(3) as a written word,

(4) as an encoded word or image.

The type of transmission according to (1) . . . (3) is in this casenormally characterized by continuous (analog) signals, while in the caseof the type of transmission according to (4) usually discontinuoussignals (for example pulses, digital signals) are produced. The presentinvention relates primarily to the transmission of visual messages (forexample images, personal recordings (videos), diagrams, lettering etc)and, to complement this, it relates to a combination of the transmissionof visual messages and acoustic messages (for example image/soundtransmission etc), the respective signal form generally being a mixtureof continuous signals and discontinuous signals. Depending on thismessage type, on which the invention is based, for the communicationsystem (telecommunications system) defined above there are required ineach case message-type-specific telecommunication devices for thefunctions of “transmitting” and “receiving”. The question as to whichtelecommunications devices are ultimately used depends, inter alia, alsoon which communication channel is taken as a basis in the communicationsystem. For the present invention, the communication channel is of onlysecondary significance, because the principle of the invention can beapplied to wired and/or wireless telecommunications channels.

With respect to the already mentioned directions of transmission withinthe communication system, for the present invention unidirectionalmessage transmission is the primary form. However, this in turn does notmean that it cannot also be used for duplex operation.

In the transmission of images according to the above definition, adistinction is made between moving image transmission and individualimage transmission. The most widespread application of imagetransmission is television engineering, in which both individual imagesand moving images are transmitted via wired and wireless communicationchannels. On this basis, there were initial attempts in the 70s todevelop video telephones which transmit images over the existingtelephone network from a transmitter (A subscriber) to a receiver (Bsubscriber). The first video telephones primarily comprised threeindividual device elements, namely a telephone, a camera and a monitor.The innovative development of microelectronics and communicationtransmission technology means that today there are already integratedvideo telephones, in which these device elements are combined in asingle telephone. The development of such video telephones, working induplex operation, has come very much to the forefront in recent yearsfrom the aspect of moving image transmission in accordance with CCITTStandard H.261 for video communication. Published patent applicationswhich document this development trend are, for example, EP-A1-0 506 544,EP-A2-0 523 618, EP-A2-0 524 623 and EP-A2-0 523 617. However, apartfrom the fact that the image transmission is quite slow, expensive andnot mobile, the realization of such moving image telephones has thedisadvantage that the application is limited by standardincompatibility, because the telephone device and video device areinseparably connected in one device and therefore videotelecommunication can take place only among those communicationsubscribers which have the same video telephone. This can in particularhave the result—in the case of such fixed forms of transmission—thatthere are restrictions for the transmission systems, such as the ISDNsystem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object on which the invention is based consists in setting up atelecommunications system for transmitting images, in particularblack-and-white individual images, which makes possible transmissionwhich is much simpler and can be used universally.

In general terms the present invention is a mobile transmission devicefor transmitting images having: first means for optically capturing atransmission image motif and producing an image message from thetransmission image motif; second means for processing appropriately fortransmission the image message produced; third means for transmittingthe image message, which can be connected via a telecommunicationschannel to a reception device for receiving the image message; andfourth means for controlling the functional sequences in thetransmission device, in particular the first to third means. The firstto fourth means are designed and connected in such a way that, when atelecommunications connection is set up between the transmission deviceand the reception device by the transmission of voice or control datainitiating the image transmission, the image message is transmitted onthe telecommunications channel time-shifted with respect to thetransmitted voice or control data and independently of the type oftelecommunications channel.

Advantageous developments of the present invention are as follows.

The third means are connected directly to the telecommunicationschannel.

The third means are connected via an acoustic coupling with a telephoneset to the telecommunications channel.

The first to fourth means are contained in a mobile part of a wirelesstelephone.

The first means and fourth means are designed in such a way that theimage information contained in the image message is composed of 100 Pt100 image pixels having 16 shades of gray which can be represented by 4bits per image pixel.

The first to fourth means are designed in such a way that, of the databits defining the image pixels of the image information, initially onlythe most-significant bit is transmitted and, in the image build-phaseswhich follow, the respectively next-most-significant bit is transmitted.

The first means and fourth means are designed in such a way that,beginning from the center point of the transmission image motif, pixelsof the transmission image motif arranged toward the outside are composedspirally to form image information of the image message.

The first to fourth means are designed in such a way that the imagemessage is transmitted together with an error detection code.

On the transmission side, an image, for example a black-and-whiteindividual image, is picked up and stored on request by a simple camera,for example with a wide-angle lens and optical viewfinder (for exampleby pressing a button or by remote control). The image data of the imagemessage (image signal plus image information) are suitably compressed(for example according to the technical method disclosed in thepublished international application WO 92/17981 entitled “Method for thecompression of image data”, for example in the patent claims and theabstract) and are subsequently coded with atelecommunications-channel-specific code, for example a line code, andtransmitted, preferably unidirectionally, indirectly, for example via anacoustic coupler (loudspeaker), or directly, for example via anelectrical connection (telecom plug connection or modem), to atelecommunications network (for example wired or wireless telephonenetwork).

On the reception side, the image data can be accepted—in a waycorresponding to the process on the transmission side—either directly(telecom plug connection, modem) or indirectly (acoustic coupler oroptocoupler). After decompression and decoding, the image data arestored in a screen store and transmitted to the screen, for example anLCD flat screen, according to the instructions of a screen controller.

Both the transmission device and the reception device can be designed tobe compact—for the purpose of fast image transmission combined with asimple switching and programming structure—, mobile and independent oftelecommunications channels, if preferably a black-and-white individualimage with 100 Pt100 pixels and 16 shades of gray is transmitted viasimple acoustic couplers or modems at a transmission rate of, forexample, 1 kbit/s.

The first to fourth means are designed in such a way that neighboringpixels or groups of pixels of the transmission image motif are composedin a time-shifted or interleaved mode to form image information of theimage message. Also, the first to fourth means are designed in such away that the speed at which the image messages are transmitted isadapted to the quality of the telecommunications channel. Theseembodiments achieve the effect of fast image build-up. In particularwith the development as claimed in claim 10, a complete image can berepresented even after one quarter of the transmission time, albeit withonly 2 brightness values.

The first to fourth means are designed in such a way that actualbrightness values of the transmitted image message are assigned desiredbrightness values stored in an assignment table. This embodimentachieves the effect that the generally most important information in thecenter of the image is transmitted first. In the case of this type oftransmission, the recipient of the image message (B subscriber) does nothave to wait so long for significant image contents if the imagebuild-up overall takes several seconds.

The first to fourth means are designed in such a way that the actualbrightness values are adapted to the desired brightness values stored inthe assignment table to utilize the brightness dynamic range before theassignment. This embodiment has the effect in an advantageous way thatindividual transmission errors scarcely have any disturbing effect anylonger. For example—with a corresponding development of theinvention—for each pixel transmitted with an error, the mean value ofthe neighboring pixels can be displayed on the reception side.

The interleaved or time-shifted composition of pixels in the case ofneighboring pixels or groups of pixels achieves the effect that anypossibly occurring transmission errors, which would normally destroymany pixels, are not so clearly visible; this is so since, if betweenthe disturbed pixels there are repeatedly correctly transmitted pixels,the visibility of the error can be distinctly reduced by this manner oferror correction.

The first to fourth means are remote-controllable. The adaptation of thetransmission speed to the quality of the telecommunications channel canbe controlled via a signalling channel assigned to the reception device.

The fourth means are remote-controllable by dialing by means of atelephone. By the use of an assignment table with stored desiredbrightness values an optimum assignment of the brightness stagesavailable to the actual brightness stages in the image to be transmittedis possible in particular when the desired brightness values in theassignment table are based on a brightness range which has beendetermined on the basis of the average brightness of the ten brightestpixels and the ten darkest pixels and when the assignment table istransmitted before the actual image transmission.

The first means have optical searching means for the selection of animage motif area to be transmitted. The development achieves the effectof enhancing the contrast of the image message.

The first means for capturing the transmission image motifs havefocusing devices. With the development, for example individual imagescan be picked up and held until the complete image is transmitted. Inaddition, the individual images can also be initially just picked up andnot transmitted until later. Furthermore, it is possible, given acorrespondingly large store, also for a plurality of individual imagesto be picked up before transmission.

The following developments relate to measures on the transmission deviceto make it more user-friendly to handle.

A mobile reception device for receiving images, has: fifth means forreceiving an image message transmitted by a transmission device, whichcan be connected via a telecommunications channel to a transmissiondevice; sixth means for processing appropriately for display the imagemessage received; seventh means for displaying the image message in theform of a reception image motif which is an image of a transmissionimage motif optically captured by the transmission device; and eighthmeans for controlling the functional sequences in the reception device,in particular of the fifth to seventh means. The fifth to eighth meansare designed and connected in such a way that, when a telecommunicationsconnection is set up between the transmission device and the receptiondevice by the transmission of voice or control data initiating the imagetransmission, the image message is received on the telecommunicationschannel time-shifted with respect to the received voice or control dataand independently of the type of telecommunications channel.

Advantageous developments of this embodiment of the present inventionare as follows.

The fifth means are connected directly to the telecommunicationschannel.

The fifth means are connected via an acoustic coupling with a telephoneset to the telecommunications channel.

The fifth to eighth means are contained in a mobile part of a wirelesstelephone.

A second image message store for buffer-storing the image messages isprovided.

Ninth means for signalling control signals to the transmission deviceare provided.

The ninth means for signalling the control signals to the transmissiondevice are designed in such a way that the control signals aretransferred directly or via an acoustic coupling to thetelecommunications channel.

The reception device is designed as a portable personal computer(notebook).

A connection interface for a personal computer is provided. Thereception device has means for signalling control signals by which, forexample, the transmission speed can be adapted to the quality of thetelecommunications channel and by which the end of an image transmissioncan be signalled to the transmission device.

The fifth to eighth means are remote-controllable. The fifth to eighthmeans are remote-controllable by dialing by means of a telephone. Theseembodiments relate to ideas for using a data processing device (personalcomputer, notebook etc) at least partially for thereception-device-specific functions.

The transmission device and the reception device is used in a telephonesystem for the transmission of images. The development specifies inparticular use of the system according to the invention for roomsurveillance.

The transmission device and the reception device are used in a telephonesystem for black-and-white image transmission, a monitoring device, atelephone system for the targeted transmission of visual information,and/or a device based on the “movable eye” principle by direct couplingof the transmission device to the reception device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel,are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention,together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood byreference to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in the several Figures of which like referencenumerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows the basic setup of a telecommunications system fortransmitting individual images with the emphasis on the transmissionside and

FIG. 2 shows the basic setup of a telecommunications system fortransmitting individual images with the emphasis on the reception side.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a transmission device 1 (transmitter), which essentiallycomprises four transmission subdevices—a first transmission subdevice 10for recording a transmission image motif in the form of an imagemessage, a second transmission subdevice 11 for processing the recordedimage message, a third transmission subdevice 12 for transmitting theimage message and a fourth transmission subdevice 13 for controlling andsupplying the first to third subdevices 10, 11, 12. The individualtransmission subdevices 10 . . . 13 form a functional unit in such a waythat preferably black-and-white individual images can be transmitted viaa telecommunications channel 2, for example, a telephone line, to areception device 3 (receiver).

Of course, it is also possible

a) to transmit color images instead of black-and-white individual imagesif a slower image build-up is accepted,

b) to transmit moving images instead of individual images if a slowerimage build-up is accepted and/or

c) to use a wireless telecommunications channel (wireless or mobileradio systems) instead of a wired telecommunications channel.

The setup of a reception device 3 in such a telecommunications systemfor transmitting images is explained by the description of FIG. 2.

For recording the transmission image motif in the form of the imagemessage, the first transmission subdevice 10 is assigned an imagingdevice 100, a transmitter-specific analog/digital converter 101, atransmitter-specific store 102 and a transmitter-specific imagingcontroller 103. With the imaging device 100, which for example comprisesa camera with an optical system (for example focusing device, telephotolens with zoom function etc), an optical viewfinder and a CCD element,the image motif to be transmitted is initially captured. This capturingof the transmission image motif is controlled by the imaging controller103—for example by means of controllable actuators, such as for examplemotors for turning the camera or for setting the focusing device or thezoom. In this case, the imaging controller 103 is for its part againcontrolled by a transmitter-specific central control device 130 inconnection with a keyboard 131. The central control device 130 and thekeyboard 131 are component parts of the fourth transmission subdevice13.

The control described above may, however, alternatively also beperformed as remote control, it being possible for the said elements ofthe imaging device 100 (for example camera, focusing optics, viewfinderetc) to be remote-controlled by a remote control device, for example atelephone by means of DTMF code, a wireless telephone etc, via thecentral control device 130 and the imaging controller 103.

After the capture of the transmission image motif by the imaging device100, the image motif is converted in the analog/digital converter 101into a digital image message, which is buffer-stored in the store 102.For the analog/digital conversion and the buffer storage, theanalog/digital converter 101 and the store 102 are controlled by theimaging controller 103. In addition, the imaging controller 103 alsocontrols the transmitter-internal transmission from the store 102 to thesecond transmission subdevice 11. In order that the imaging controller103 can also perform these control tasks assigned to it, there is amaster-slave relationship between the imaging controller 103 and thecentral control device 130 with respect to the control tasks in thetransmission device 1, with the central control device 130 as the“master” and the imaging controller 103 as the “slave”.

The central control device 130, in connection with the keyboard 131 orwith the remote control option (dash-dotted arrow in FIG. 1), isresponsible for controlling all the functional sequences in thetransmission device 1. For this purpose, the central control device 130is preferably designed as a microprocessor. Supplying the centralcontrol device 130 and the first to third transmission subdevices 10,11, 12 with clock pulses and power takes place by means of atransmitter-specific clock-pulse generator 132 and atransmitter-specific storage battery 133, which, like the centralcontrol device 130, are assigned to the fourth transmission subdevice 13and are of a known design. The central control device 130 assumes notonly the functional control of the imaging controller 103 but also thecontrol of the second and third transmission subdevices 11, 12.

The second transmission subdevice 11 essentially comprises a datacompression device 110, a channel coding device 111 and atransmitter-specific digital/analog converter 112, which all have acontrol connection to the central control device 130. As a consequenceof the controlling by the imaging controller 103 of the firsttransmission subdevice 10, the digital image message buffer-stored inthe store 102 is fed to the data compression device 110. In the datacompression device 110, this image message is compressed in a known way(for example according to the technical method disclosed in thepublished international application WO 92/17981 entitled “Method for thecompression of image data”, for example in the patent claims and theabstract). Subsequently, the compressed image message is coded in thechannel coding device 111 with a channel code, likewise in a known way.The compressed and channel-coded image message is subsequently convertedin the digital/analog converter 112 into an analog image message whichcan be transmitted on the telecommunications channel 2.

In the third transmission subdevice 12, this analog image message isamplified in a transmission amplifier 120 before it is fed either to anelectrical transmitter-specific connecting device 121 or to an acoustictransmitter-specific coupling device 122 for the transmission to thereception device 3. These two transmission possibilities are representedin principle by a switch identified by dashed lines in FIG. 1. While inthe case of the electrical connection the transmission device 1 isconnected to the telecommunications channel 2 directly via theconnecting device 121, in the case of the acoustic coupling a directconnection is not possible.

In the case of the direct electrical connection, the connecting device121 is preferably designed as a telecom line unit or modem—for examplein the case of a telephone line as a telecommunications channel.

In the case of the acoustic coupling between the transmission device 1and the telecommunications channel 2, an additional device establishingthe acoustic coupling is needed (not shown in FIG. 1). Suitable for thispurpose—given the telecommunications channel 2 in the form of atelephone line—is preferably a conventional telephone (A subscribertelephone), which on the one hand has a connection to thetelecommunications channel 2 and in which on the other hand the handsetmicrophone or hands-free microphone can be used to establish an acousticcoupling with the acoustic coupling device 122 of the transmissiondevice 1. In the case of this type of acoustic coupling, the acousticcoupling device 122 of the transmission device 1 is expediently designedas a loudspeaker.

The connecting device 121 is preferably also used to carry out theremote control of the central control device 130 and consequently —givencorresponding switching and programming preconditions in the controlsequence of the transmission device 1—of the entire transmission device1.

FIG. 2 shows on the basis of FIG. 1 the setup of the reception device 3,which essentially comprises—in a way corresponding to the setup of thetransmission device 1—four reception subdevices—a first receptionsubdevice 30 for receiving the analog image message transmitted by thetransmission device 1 according to FIG. 1, a second reception subdevice31 for processing the received image message, a third receptionsubdevice 32 for displaying the received image message in the form of areception image motif and a fourth reception subdevice 33 forcontrolling and supplying the first to third reception subdevices 30,31, 32. The individual reception subdevices 30 . . . 33 form afunctional unit in such a way that the black-and-white individual imagesrecorded by the transmission device are reproducible in alocation-shifted and time-shifted mode and independently of thetelecommunications channel.

The analog image message transmitted over the telecommunications channel2 by the transmission device 1 according to FIG. 1 is received by thefirst reception subdevice 30. The reception subdevice 30 has for thispurpose—with respect to the possibilities for the transmission of theimage message provided with the transmission device 1 according to FIG.1—in the case of electrical transmission a receiver-specific inputconnecting device 300 corresponding to the transmitter-specificconnecting device 121 and in the case of acoustic coupling areceiver-specific acoustic coupling device 301 corresponding to thetransmitter-specific acoustic coupling device 122.

In a way corresponding to the coupling in of the analog image messageinto the telecommunications channel 2 on the transmission side, thecoupling out of the analog image message from the telecommunicationschannel 2 proceeds on the receiver side. While in the case of electricaltransmission the input connecting device 300 —like the connecting device121—is assigned directly to the telecommunications channel 2, foracoustic coupling out again an additional device adapted to thetelecommunications channel 2, for example in the case of a telephoneline a telephone (B subscriber telephone), is required between thetelecommunications channel 2 and the acoustic coupling device 301.

Due to the fact that the B subscriber telephone is connected via thetelephone line 2 to the A subscriber telephone, the analog image messagecoupled in acoustically on the receiver side is transmitted to the Bsubscriber telephone at its receiver capsule in the handset or at itsopen-listening loudspeaker. If the acoustic coupling device 301 is thenassigned either to the receiver capsule or to the open-listeningloudspeaker—in the sense of acoustic coupling—, as a result the analogimage message transmitted by the transmission device 1 can be receivedat the reception device 3.

The analog image message received indirectly or directly is subsequentlyfed to a reception amplifier 302 of the reception subdevice 30.Thereafter, the amplified image message is fed receiver-internally tothe second reception subdevice 31. This second reception subdevice 31essentially comprises a receiver-specific analog/digital converter 310,a channel decoding device 311 and a data decompression device 312, whichare connected one behind the other in the specified sequence and all arecontrolled by a central receiver-specific control device 330 of thefourth reception subdevice 33. The central control device 330, inconnection with a receiver-specific keyboard 331, is responsible forcontrolling all the functional sequences in the reception device 3 andis preferably designed as a microprocessor. However, thereceiver-specific central control device 330 may also—like thetransmitter-specific central control device 130—be remote-controlled viathe input connecting device 300 (dash-dotted arrow in FIG. 2). Inaddition to the central control device 330, the reception subdevice 33is assigned a receiver-specific clock-pulse generator 332 and areceiver-specific storage battery 333 for supplying the reception device3 with clock pulses and power.

In the analog/digital converter, the analog image message is convertedinto a digital image message. To be able to display the imageinformation contained in this digital image message, the digital imagemessage must be decoded and decompressed again. This takes place underthe master control of the central control device 330 in the channeldecoding device 311 and the data decompression device 312. The centralcontrol device 330 is also responsible for transferring the digitalimage message, once it has finally been decompressed, from the datadecompression device 312 of the second reception subdevice 31 to thethird reception subdevice 32 for displaying the received digital imagemessage in the form of a reception image motif.

The third reception subdevice 32 essentially comprises areceiver-specific store 320, a receiver-specific digital/analogconverter 321, a screen 322 and a screen controller 323. The transfer ofthe digital image message from the data decompression device 312 intothe third reception subdevice 32 is reported to the screen controller323 by the central control device 330. The screen controller 323 theninitiates and controls the buffer storage of the digital image messagein the store 320. Depending on whether the buffer-stored image messageis to be displayed on the receiver-internal screen 322 or an externaldisplay device, the buffer-stored image message is fed in the case ofreceiver-internal display to the digital/analog converter 321 or—in thecase of external display—to an output connecting device 324.

In the case of receiver-internal display, the buffer-stored imagemessage is converted in the digital/analog converter 321 back into ananalog image message. This analog image message contains a receptionimage motif, which finally is represented on the screen 322. Thedigital/analog conversion and the representation of the reception imagemotif is in this case in turn controlled by the screen controller 323.Between the imaging controller 323 and the central control device 330there is again the master-slave relationship with respect to the controltasks in the reception device 3—as in the case of the transmissiondevice 1 according to FIG. 1—with the central control device 330 as the“master” and the imaging controller 323 as the “slave”.

In the case of external display, the image message buffer-stored in thestore 320 is transferred unconverted via the output connecting device324 to the external display device (not shown in FIG. 2). The externaldisplay device may be, for example, a personal computer or a laptop(notebook), which are connected to the reception device 3 via the outputconnecting device 324, designed as a parallel or serial interface.

To be able to report complete reception of the transmitted image messageto the operator of the transmission device 1, in the reception device 3there is provided a fifth reception subdevice 34 for signallingpurposes. The reception subdevice 34 is connected for this purpose tothe central control device 330 and the keyboard 331. In the case of thereception subdevice 34, the signalling preferably takes place by soundtransmission; for this reason, said device has—connected one after theother in the following sequence—a sound generator 340, an amplifier 341and a loudspeaker 342 for acoustic coupling in of the sound signal intothe telecommunications channel 2. Instead of acoustic coupling betweenthe reception subdevice 34 and the telecommunications channel 2 forfeeding in the sound signal, direct electrical feeding in is alsopossible, for example via the connecting device 300. For this purpose,the latter would then have to be designed for bidirectionaltransmission.

The controlling of the telecommunications system described above fortransmitting images usually takes place by verbal communication betweenthe communication subscribers (A subscriber, B subscriber).Alternatively, however, it is also possible for the telecommunicationssystem to be controlled by the reception device 3. This type of controlis achieved by inputting DTMF signals or an infotip. If in this caseexclusively image communication is to be set up, the caller of the imagereception device identifies himself by the input of a code number. Thisprinciple is already used in the case of the babyphone function inanswering machines. From the reception device, the imaging in thetransmission device is triggered and, if appropriate, further images canalso be requested. In addition, it is also possible to providecontinuous image transmission, in which, for example, a new image istransmitted every two to three seconds. On the basis of the abovedescription of the exemplary embodiment, the mobile capability of thetransmission and reception device 1, 3 allows a distinction to be madebetween the following application situations:

(1) camera and screen stationary,

(2) camera stationary and screen mobile,

(3) camera mobile and screen stationary,

(4) camera and screen mobile.

The above application situations can be used, for example, formonitoring purposes (babysitter function, monitoring of those requiringcare, building security, traffic surveillance, monitoring at fillingstations etc).

In addition, the application situations can also be used for thetargeted transmission of visual information (for example in support ofservice tasks in the private or business sector, in the recording ofinsurance losses, in the transmission of wanted photos to policeofficers, when giving advice on important decisions (for example thebuying or viewing of a house), in preparation for desktop publishingapplications etc).

Finally, it is also possible to use the above application situations forthe “movable eye” principle, by coupling the transmission device 1directly to the reception device 3.

The invention is not limited to the particular details of the apparatusdepicted and other modifications and applications are contemplated.Certain other changes may be made in the above described apparatuswithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention hereininvolved. It is intended, therefore, that the subject matter in theabove depiction shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile electronic camera for sending imagescomprising: a first assembly for optically capturing a transmissionimage motif and producing an image message from the transmission imagemotif; a second assembly configured to process the produced imagemessage for transmission; connected to a telecommunication channel, theelectronic monitor for receving the image message via thetelecommunication channel; and a fourth assembly for controllingfunction sequences in the first, second, and third assemblies of themobile electronic camera; wherein the mobile electronic camera isconnectable both to a mobile wireless telecommunication device and to awirebound telecommunication device, and the first, second, third andfourth assemblies are configured and connected in such a way that theimage message is transmitted independent of a type of thetelecommunication travel.
 2. The mobile electronic camera as claimed inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the mobile wireless telecommunicationdevice and the wirebound telecommunication device, the electronic cameraand the electronic monitor are configured to form a telecommunicationarrangement that is controlled by one of verbal communication betweencommunication subscribers and remote control.
 3. The mobile electroniccamera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third assembly is connecteddirectly to the telecommunication channel.
 4. The mobile electroniccamera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third assembly is connected tothe telecommunication channel via an acoustic coupling to atelecommunication device selected from the group consisting of themobile wireless telecommunication device and the wireboundtelecommunication device.
 5. The mobile electronic camera as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the first, second, third and fourth assemblies arecontained in the mobile wireless telecommunication device.
 6. The mobileelectronic camera as claimed in clam 1, wherein the first assembly andthe fourth assembly are constructed such that the image informationcontained in the image message is composed of 100×100 pixels having 16shades of gray that are represented by 4 bits per image pixel.
 7. Themobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first,second, third and fourth assemblies are configured in such a way that,of data bits defining the image pixels of the image information,initially only a most significant bit is transmitted and anext-most-significant bit is transmitted in subsequent image build-upphases.
 8. The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe first and fourth assemblies are configured such that, beginning froma center point of the transmission image motif, pixels of thetransmission image motif arranged toward an outside portion of thetransmission image motif away from the center point are spirallyarranged to form image information of the image message.
 9. The mobileelectronic camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first, second,third and fourth assemblies are configured to transmit an errordetection code together with the image message.
 10. The mobileelectronic camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first, second,third and fourth assemblies are configured so that one of neighboringpixels and groups of pixels of the transmission image motif are arrangedin one of a time-shifted mode and an interleaved mode to form imageinformation of the image message.
 11. The mobile electronic camera asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the first, second, third and fourthassemblies are configured such that a speed at which the image messagesare transmitted is adapted to a quality of the telecommunicationschannel.
 12. The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1, whereinfirst, second, third and fourth assemblies are configured such thatactual brightness values of the transmitted image message are assigneddesired brightness values stored in an assignment table.
 13. The mobileelectronic camera as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first, second,third and fourth assemblies are configured such that the actualbrightness values are adapted to the desired brightness values stored inthe assignment table to utilize a brightness dynamic range before theassignment.
 14. The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1,further comprising a first image message store for buffer-storing theimage messages.
 15. The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1,wherein the first, second, third and fourth assemblies areremote-controllable.
 16. The mobile electronic camera as claimed inclaim 15, wherein the fourth assembly is remote-controllable by dialingfrom a telephone.
 17. The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim1, wherein the first assembly has an optical searching device that isconfigured for selection of an image motif area to be transmitted. 18.The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firstassembly for optically capturing the transmission image motifs includesone or more focusing devices.
 19. The mobile electronic camera asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic camera is a part of atelecommunication arrangement for transmitting images.
 20. The mobileelectronic camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile electroniccamera is a part of a telecommunication arrangement for transmittingblack-and-white images.
 21. The mobile electronic camera as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the mobile electronic camera is a part of asurveillance device.
 22. The mobile electronic camera as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the mobile electronic camera is a part of atelecommunication arrangement for targeted transmission of visualinformation.
 23. The mobile electronic camera as claimed in claim 1,wherein the electronic camera is directly coupleable with an electronicmonitor.